2099: The World of Tomorrow (A Futuristic Superhero RPG)

[Johnny Blaze]

Welcome to the Future!

The year is 2099, and the world is a different place than what it once was. With the heroes and villains of lore dying in wake of the Great Cataclysm (a cosmic event that severely warped space and time, causing untold universal devastation), along with over one third of the world's population, the planet was dealt a devastating blow.

But, from the ashes of destruction, order began to take hold once again as society began to rebuild. With the demise of the super heroes and their villainous counterparts, the 'Golden Age of Heroes' has come to a resounding end.

As society regrew itself over the course of the decades after the Cataclysm, science began to advance at a rapid pace, thrusting the planet into a new era: a Technological Age of Wonders.

But this Wondrous Age also brings with it a great danger and uncertainty. The powers that now rule the world are, at a whole, more totalitarianistic than ever before. Each constantly scrambling to gain more power and influence and keep what it already has from slipping from it's grasp.
And, as always in the struggle for supremacy, it is the common civilian that suffers.

In most societies around the globe, the common folk are treated as second class citizens, expendable fodder for their government, or worse, giving up freedoms for the 'security' their masters provide.

Now, more than ever, the world needs heroes to battle this nigh global corruption of power...


North America

Continental US

Spoiler

The Great Cataclysm arguably hit the United States the hardest out of the entire planet, destroying the country's economy and nearly all of it's infrastructure. But from the ashes of the old country, a new one was formed: one ruled by a congress of corporations, fore they were the ones who rebuild American society after it's fall. Four MegaCorps rule the land, though they all control smaller 'fiefdoms' of subsidiary corporations that are given sections of their territory to control, while taking a larger percentage from all business dealings they make.

Though civilization has returned in an astounding way, the mid-west (from Omaha all the way to Carson City, and from Phoenix North to Boise) remains a wasteland that even the MegaCorps stay out of. Many mutants, taking refuge from the persecution dealt towards them by the Corps, call the Badlands home.

The city of Las Vegas, now a husk of what it once was, is a massive community of mutants looking for an escape from the hostile world around them. Run by a man named Xi'an Chi Xan, Vegas is home to over a thousand mutants and growing by the day. A fact that may soon bring the unwanted attention of the corporations to his doorstep, and a fact that Xi'an is preparing for.

L-Corp is the largest of the MegaCorps, and it's territory runs down the Eastern seaboard of the country, from Maine all the way down into what was once Virginia. It's headquarters in super-city, Metropolis, it's CEO, Tyler Stone, runs L-Corp with the cold-blooded efficiency that would make it's founder, Lex Luthor, proud.

One smaller corporation controlled by L-Corp is Wayne-Powers. Controlling the city of Gotham, arguably the third largest in L-Corp's domain behind Metropolis and Nueva York, Wayne-Powers is run by the corrupt businessman, Derek Powers.
Having taken control of the company from the Wayne family years ago, Powers has turned Gotham back into the hive of corruption it once was.


Stark-Fujikawa is the second largest MegaCorp that comprises the country, controlling the entire West coast as well as what was once Southern Arizona. Out of the four MegaCorps, Stark-Fujikawa treats it's citizens the best, governing through trust and honor over the tactics of fear and propaganda that the others used.
Young Rumiko Stark, named after her grandmother, runs the corporation, and is a constant thorn in L-Corp's side.


COBRA rules what was once the American South, including Texas as well as Cuba and most of the Caribbean. Run by the latest man to bear the mantle of Commander, COBRA used the Great Cataclysm to their advantage and struck out with their forces, taking control of the territory in which they now run like a police state.

A large wall surrounds COBRA's continental territory, making an effective barrier against the rest of the nation. The wall, dubbed the Serpent for the way it winds across the country, is well armed and constantly patrolled by COBRA soldiers, keeping out all unwanted intruders and preventing any citizen from 'defecting'.


The MegaCorp called Veidt Enterprises controls the Northern portion of the one time United States, from Montana to the Great Lakes and into parts of Southern Canada. Out of the four MegaCorps, Veidt Enterprises is the most unknown, as they have kept an isolationist attitude since they came to power.
The MegaCorp's CEO, Nathaniel Richards, is rarely seen in person, even attending the annual meeting of the heads of the four corporations via hologram.

Canada

Spoiler

Largely covered in forests and the ruins of infrastructure, what was once Canada is a sparsely populated place. When the Great Cataclysm struck, thousands of Canadian citizens were forced to fend for themselves in the wilds during the harsh freeze of winter. Many fell to cannibalism, and became cursed, transforming into wendigos. Now thousands of these creatures roam the Canadian wilderness, preying on anything they can find.

Department K controls all of what was once British Columbia and Alberta. A highly secretive government run by a shadow council, the citizens under Department K are largely left to their own devices, but occasionally are used as unwilling, and sometimes unknowing, test subjects for Department experiments.
Order is kept in the province via the Department's military force as well as their elite task force, Weapon X, the latter of which is known of and feared throughout the continent.

The portion that was once Quebec, Newfoundland, and the islands of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are now a single territory, called the Second Nation, watched over by Alpha Flight: a band of genetically enhanced soldiers fighting to maintain their province's freedom, and to keep the encroaching wendigo threat at bay.

Central and South America

Spoiler

The type of organization and structure found in the North largely does not exist here. Both Central and South America are run akin to a futuristic version of the Wild West, a nigh lawless society. Home to various criminal organizations as well as infamous figures on the run, the two continents are places of extreme danger and intrigue.

Rio, the largest city in the Southern hemisphere, is akin to a massive city-state and is run by a private army calling themselves the Tarantulas. Who commands the Tarantulas remains a mystery, though they tend to let civilians be provided they keep out of the Tarantula's way and do what they're told.

In Mexico, rumors of a masked man garbed in black and wielding a blade made of pure energy has began to spread among the people. A defender of the people against those that would abuse them, this vigilante reminds historians of a local legend centuries old, due to the 'Z's he leaves carved into walls on his passing.

Europe

Spoiler

Most of Europe is under the control of the dictator, Golgoth, a ruthless tyrant who used the Cataclysm to seize power in Latveria and take control over all of Western, and a large portion of Eastern, Europe. Like his Latverian predecessor, Victor Von Doom, Golgoth is a mad genius, and commands a considerable army. Golgoth is also served by a squad of special commandos he has 'blessed' with powers due to a substance he calls the Eucharist, which is ingested in ceremonial fashion.

Great Britain

Spoiler

What was once a land of freedom and prosperity before the Cataclysm has since fallen into a fascist police state. The ruling political regime, called Norsefire, has exterminated all opposition to their power via concentration camps, along with all those of 'questionable' ethnic decent and religious beliefs. 'Strength through purity, purity through Faith' is a common motto of the Party,

Adam Susan, the leader of the Norsefire Party, rules the UK with a fear inspired order, brought largely about by the always and ever watching eye of the most sophisticated surveillance system on the planet, Fate.

Scandinavia

Spoiler

The Empire of Asgard controls the entire peninsula, and is as perfect a melding of science and magic one will ever see. Almost a futuristic version of medieval Europe, the 'peasants' toil in their jobs for the good of the state, while the privileged sit back and reap the rewards.

Run by a powerful wizard calling himself Lars Liesmith, a man claiming to be the son of Loki, Asgard keeps order in it's province via the Fenris Wolfpack: an order of knights using highly advanced weaponry and armor fused with magic.

Lars' rule is not absolute, as their is a small, yet strong, opposition to his forces: the Church of Thor. Believers of the courage and honor of their hero and of the true Asgard, the Church members fight to free their lands from Liesmith's tyranny. All the while, they firmly believe that Thor will return one day to lead them to victory and transform the Empire of Asgard into the Golden Lands of it's divine namesake.

Africa

Spoiler

Africa is a land mass divided, with everything North of Wakanda being a part of the now truly massive Sahara Desert, and with Wakanda and everything South being a lush, jungle paradise.

The Sahara is a place of barbarism and brutality, with the only real bastions of civilization being the few cities along the Nile. The city of Giza is home to the Apocalypse Cult, where they subjugate the city's masses under the laws of their lord, En Sabah Nur. It is said that Nur will return one day to lay siege to the planet, culling the weak from the Earth and giving rise to a new dawn for the planet.
The Four Horsemen rule the Cult as well as the city, wiping out any who oppose them.

The strongest opponents to the Cult of Apocalypse is the Kingdom of Wakanda, which now controls the rest of the continent, excluding Madagascar. Ruled by the latest Black Panther, the Kingdom of Wakanda is a bastion for the arts and sciences, as well as being a land steeping in mystic traditions. Like the Empire of Asgard, Wakanda blends technology with sorcery, but just not to Asgard's degree.
Though Wakanda does possess some of the most well-protected borders on the planet thanks in large part to their nigh exclusive access of vibranium, one of the most potent substances on the planet.

During the events of the Great Cataclysm, Genosha was sunk into the sea, but the surviving mutants relocated to Madagascar, and over the decades since the disaster, have transformed the large island into a utopia dubbed New Avalon.

Mutants flock to New Avalon's shores daily, seeking asylum. Most are permitted entrance, but not all are deemed worthy to enter paradise by the Brotherhood of Mutants, the mutant sect who rules the island. Extremely xenophobic towards non-mutants ('Flatscans' is the derogatory term they prefer), the Brotherhood preaches that the world is theirs by right of birth, and that, one day, the impure species will be wiped clean from the genetic landscape, paving the way for the ascension of the mutant species.

Feared by the neighboring Kingdom of Wakanda, the Black Panther and his allies wonder when, not if, they will be forced to launch an offensive against New Avalon before they begin to truly practice what they preach.

Asia

Spoiler

The once mighty continent of Asia remains sparsely populated, with vast stretches of wasteland and wilderness, dotted with densely populated mega-cities. A single power runs most of the dealings that take place on the mainland of the continent, while Japan is it's own unique entity.

Red Star, the largest mega-city on the continent takes up a what was once Moscow and a large portion of the surrounding countryside. Controlled by a man known as the Red Guardian, Red Star is a futuristic homage to the old ways of Soviet Russia.

The Mandarin Dynasty rules everything South of what was once Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Emperor Temugin, current wielder of the ten rings, rules the land with a fair mind, but punishes law breakers brutally, and, on occasion, publicly. Still, the Empire takes care of it's citizens, and is a haven for cutting edge science and engineering, often exporting their items across the planet and beyond.

Japan

Spoiler

Since the Great Cataclysm, Japan has become a confederation of a dozen city-states, each run as it's own, small entity. The leaders of these provinces meet twice a year to discuss matters concerning the entire country, and their own interests.
Two of the main provinces are Kagoshima and Neo-Tokyo.

Neo-Tokyo is a totalitarian state of stunning technology and wonder, and one at a constant war with a rebellion of a portion of it's citizens. Street gangs are prevalent in the city, often carving out large territories for themselves that they defend violently.
Under the leadership of Colonel Shikishima, Neo-Tokyo, the largest of the dozen city-states, boasts the most advanced and well-trained military force of all Japan.

Kagoshima is a place of shadow and secrecy. Generally isolationist in nature, Kagoshima has some of the best defenses against spying on entire planet. The province is diminutive when compared Neo-Tokyo, but it arguably garners more respect than it's more massive contemporary, largely due to fear.

And that is because Kagoshima is ruled by the Foot Clan, an ancient order of ninja assassins and the most powerful of the ninja clans of Japan. Ruled by the latest man to claim the title of the Shredder, the Foot are a very dangerous player in not only the politics of Japan, but all of the world as well.

On the small island of Niigata resides the Foot's most ancient of adversaries and chief rivals, the Lin Kuei. Although they do not boast the number of the Foot Clan ninjas, the Lin Kuei can boast to having some of the most skilled killers on the planet. The current Grandmaster bears the title of his ancestors, Sub Zero, as well as their unique abilities.
Blending modern technology with man, the Lin Kuei ninjas are more cyborg now than human, radically increasing their efficiency.

The Black Dragon, one of the world's largest criminal organizations, bases itself in Japan. Dealing in everything from drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, the Black Dragons are some of the worst scum imaginable. The current boss is a man called Kabal, who is said to possess strange powers.

Australia

Spoiler

It's entire population nearly wiped from existence from the Cataclysm, Australia and New Zealand were left to their fate as the rest of the world worried about itself. Most of the survivors formed small settlements and tried their best to get by, but many perished in the years following the cosmic disaster.

But then a man wearing old robes and claiming to be the reincarnation of Nabu appeared on the shores. Wielding great magical powers, Nabu began to help restore the land back to health, and turning it into a sanctuary for the magical beings being persecuted and homeless from across the world.

A home to both human natives and magical immigrants, Australia and New Zealand are governed by Nabu, who dreams of creating the perfect utopian society. Despite efforts to squash disputes, a growing number of natives have become outraged at the growing number of immigrants arriving by the day.
To help keep the peace, Nabu appointed the demonic Hellboy as the head of his police force.

One location of note is Fabletown, which resides in the spot that was once occupied by Canberra. The original Fabletown was destroyed during the Cataclysm, so the survivors moved to Australia when they caught wind of Nabu's invitation.
With Bibgy Wolf as Mayor, Fabletown has been on the frontline of trying to promote the peace between the immigrants and the native populace that Nabu wishes to see.

GM: Johnny Blaze
AGM: Byrd Man


RULES (Read Before Applying)

Spoiler

• You may create original characters, original legacy characters (such as a Flash 2099, Spider-Man 2099, or Spawn 2099), or modern day characters that are revamped to fit the 2099 motive (such as Vandal Savage circa the year 2099 or taking Spider Jerusalem and fitting him into the 2099 setting). All character concepts must be approved by a GM before play can begin.
• You are allowed a maximum of two characters.
• You must post at least once every week, though it is preferred you post more, or your character will be up-for-grabs. Failure to post after a month will result in removal from the roster.
• PC's are not to be killed without permission. Nameless NPC's are fine, but PC's or important NPC's will require authorization. Don't do anything random, such as destroying the universe, either.
• Several storylines can be going on at once, in order to interact with other players. If a player's character does not want to be involved in another's storyline, they do not have to. Consultation and communication are the keys to a good PC-to-PC interaction.
• Sidekicks and legacy characters will be required to be permitted by the player orchestrating the mentor's role in the universe.
• You can travel anywhere on Earth or off-planet, provided it is within your character's means. Time-travel is forbidden, unless it is specifically required of your character choice.
• You are your character, so act like them. Create or portray their mannerisms, powers, and ideals to how they have been established in the game. BE the character.
• Respect the Gamemasters. If they make a request of you regarding the game, listen to them. Failure to adhere to GM or moderator requests will result in expulsion from the game.
• All regular forum rules apply.
• And finally, the most important rule of all: Have fun. Never take the game too seriously, or you will have lost the point. Heated arguments between players can result in probation or infractions - do not ruin it for other players. It is only a game.

Character Application

Spoiler

Character You Would Like to Play:

Character Alignment (Hero, Villain, or Walking the Line):

Appearance/Costume (Briefly describe or post a picture of what your character's costume looks like): .

Origin/History of Your Character and Their Personality:

Powers and Abilities:

Supporting Cast (If Any):

Sample Post (must be a minimum of 2 paragraphs with at least 2 lines of dialogue from your character):

Roster

Heroes

Batman
Johnny Blaze

Black Arrow
MST3K 4ever

Ghost Rider
Knighthawk

Green Hornet
Byrd Man

Hawkeye
HenryJonesJr

Power Girl
FutaNeko0200

Kraftur Otakmarkaour
Shoryu

Telo Shedevr
Shoryu

Thor
Johnny Blaze

Walking the Line

The Black Widow
Lucious Veil

Mal-Ware
Lucius Cypher

Patchwork Man
DawnKnight

Villains

Darkness
Grandsword

Golgoth
HenryJonesJr

[Lucious Veil]

((I hope I'm not a little... out there with my dude; I was cross-checking Black Widow's page while writing the Powers/Abilities section. If needed, I can edit out some things, but I tried not to be overly OP but... again: super heroes. >_>))

Character You Would Like to Play: Black Widow (with revamp)

Character Alignment (Hero, Villain, or Walking the Line): Walking the Line

Appearance/Costume (Briefly describe or post a picture of what your character's costume looks like):

Origin/History of Your Character and Their Personality: Adrik Shchurov, a young, purebred Russian man, born in Great Britain was raised to be an over-the-top assassin. Trained in the arts of gymnastics, acrobatics, numerous forms of martial arts, parkour, and fencing, Adrik had a promising future ahead of him by serving under the Norsefire Party. Thousands of dollars of implants, serums, and other things had been spent to perfect his entire body to work under Norsefire Party... Until he mysteriously vanished before presenting himself before them. Fleeing Britain, and Europe as a whole, Adrik left to the continental United States, working as a free lance assassin and spy, taking money from whoever paid him the highest.

Adrik is a suave, young man. Using diplomacy as best as he can to get out of situations, but on occasions, if the job requires, he will kill those in his way. Adrik remains quiet, only talking to those required, and only when necessary, presumed to be from a childhood accident with his father.

Powers and Abilities: Trained in gymnastics, acrobatics, martial arts, parkour, and fencing. Injected with high-quality vaccines and serums to make his body immune to most diseases and sicknesses. Given implants in muscular tissue to allow him to exceed the abilities of Olympic gold medalists. Given implants and injected with serums to improve his body to work at peak efficiency and capability, rendering him possible to dodge bullets at near-point blank range. Has a naturally, nominally, higher intelligence than some people.

Supporting Cast (If Any): N/A

Sample Post (must be a minimum of 4 paragraphs with at least 2 lines of dialogue from your character): The people used in the sample post (aside from Adrik) aren't going to be used further. Er- unless I can? I dunno.

The light flickered on and off ominously as it swung softly in the dank warehouse. At the center of the main room were a group of men and women standing around a large, square, table. One of the men, a gruff, elderly man with graying hair, spoke. He cleared his throat, his eyes darting as he looked at each person at the table, "Are we certain of the target's location? We cannot afford to mess with up, and we cannot let MegaCorp catch us. Understood?" He looked at each of the people again. One of them was a woman in her mid-30's with bright yellow hair with an orange undertone. The woman had a cold look on her face as she nodded at the elderly man. The second of the group was a man of about the same age, with white-blonde hair and shining grey eyes. The man fidgeted with his sleeve a moment, then nodded shortly at the elderly man. The final person around the table, was a man in his late-20's. He had dark, brown hair and forest green eyes. He wore a long, black coat with a black scarf wrapped around his neck. He had black, buckled gloves, with retractable blades on the underside of both of them. He wore tall, knee-high boots, that each had two long, slender, stilettos sheathed on either boot.

Adrik studied the older man closely, adjusting his scarf before speaking, "I'm the one who'll be delivering the killing blow, right, boss?" He asked. The older man thought for a moment, then nodded, agreeing. Adrik blinked once to show his understanding, then led the group out, 'Come on. We've got a mission to handle." He said as he lept out of the window, landing on the roof of another, he led the two behind them to the window of another building. One of the few with their lights still on inside, Adrik knew immediately it was the one they needed. He crouched down, the woman to his left, and the man to his right. "All right, here it is. This gent's one of the higher-ups in the Gotham L-Corp branch. Not the but one of." The woman smiled slightly; his Russian accent flowed thickly when he was thinking about something.

She looked at him, brushing some of her hair over her ear, "Don't worry, Adrik: we've got this. We're some of the best, isn't that what the Boss said?" She asked, giving him a motherly look. He averted her gaze, rolling his eyes. She laughed quietly, then pulled her si out of her holster, cocking it. Adrik cracked his knuckles, and the man beside him cocked a pistol, checking it over multiple times before holstering it.

The man looked over at Adrik, "On your go: we're ready." Adrik nodded, then motioned for them to wait, then made a countdown from 3 to 1, before taking a few steps back and leaping off of the roof, the man and woman following right behind him. He grabbed the ledge of the window, kicking it open, he shattered the glass, landing on the floor. There were a few guards standing watch outside the window, but Adrik opened the blades on his gauntlets, running the first one through the heart and slitting his throat. The man landed in front of the second guard, elbowing him in the face, he grabbed his throat, threw him to the ground, and stomped on his groin. The woman landed gracefully behind the two men, looking at Adrik, "Where to?" She asked sweetly, and Adrik motioned for the pair to follow him down a hallway.

He made a quick hand motion, and the two cocked their pistols, standing on either side of the doorway. Carefully, Adrik picked the lock on the door, and slowly opened it. Inside was a conference room, with a lone man in his late-40's sitting at a large chair, facing the wall opposite the doorway. He was talking quickly on his phone, his voice barely audible. Adrik took a deep breath, then looked across him, his parkour training flooding back into his mind as he charged forward, leaping onto the edge of the table, and somersaulting over it, landing in front of the man, he aimed a back kick, knocking the phone out of the man's hand. "Lance, the door." Adrik said shortly, Lance, nodding quickly, shut the door behind him and Adele, their last partner.

With guns holstered, Adele and Lance walked closer towards the man. Still trying to process what happened, the man was at a loss for words. Adele spoke first, "Mr. Goto? We're here to end your life." She said, a slight bit of mock-humor in her tone as she spoke. Lance laughed, and Adrik whipped around to face the man. He roughly forced him out of his seat, then threw the chair over, causing it to fall and slide across the room. Adrik flipped the man around, holding him in a headlock, he walked closer to the glass window in front of them.

Adrik spoke softly, menacingly, into the man's ear, "Mr. Goto, your time as a member of L-Corp is at an end, I'm sorry to say." He tightened his grip on the man's neck, "I'm afraid that we're here to relieve you of your duty. Please..." He turned the man around again, tightening his grip ever so slightly, "Remove your security systems. Now, if you may." Still at a loss for words, the man's hands shook vigorously as he turned off all of his security systems. "Now.. erase all surveillance footage from here, please?" Adrik whispered into his ear again, and the man, once again, did as he was told and erased all footage from the entire building for the last fifteen minutes. "Goodbye, Mr. Goto." Adrik said again, then, Lance and Adele each let off one bullet into the window, and the glass crashed open. Adrik released his grip on Mr. Goto, then shoved him out the window, letting him fall to his death. Adrik turned around, "We're leaving, now." He said as they lept out of the broken window, and onto the roof of the building.

[FutaNeko0200]

My first profile will be put up when I iron some things out in both

[HenryJonesJr]

Hawkeye app will be up tomorrow evening.

[Byrd Man]

Character You Would Like to Play: Continental Detective Agency Operative #1120153 aka "Mark IV" aka "The Continental Op"

Character Alignment (Hero, Villain, or Walking the Line): Walking The Line

Appearance/Costume (Briefly describe or post a picture of what your character's costume looks like): The Continental Op is a short, squat man with a chubby body and face, black hair, and blue eyes. He wears a suit, tie, and fedora.

Origin/History of Your Character and Their Personality: Many years ago, the Continental Detective Agency employed a man who was far and away their most intelligent and ruthless operative. He would end up retiring and dieing some years later. The agency was bought out over the years, eventually becoming a subsidiary of Stark-Fujikawa. With the growing rise of private security, the Continental Detective Agency was rebranded as Stark-Fujikawa's private security and investigation wing. One of their side projects involved the DNA of the famous operative. Using it, they brought him back to life through cloning. The Continental Op is now dispatched across the country, working the most sensitive cases for the highest bidder. His clientele include America's elite and megacorps that dominate the landscape of the nation.

Personality wise, the Op can be cold and calculating. A cynic and a pessimist, his experiences in his past life and now in the future have weakened whatever sympathy he has for his fellow man. As a clone of a man who lived in the early half of the 20th century, the Op tends to dress and talk in the antiquated manner of the past.

Powers and Abilities: No powers, but the Op is a brilliant investigator and manipulator. He can handle his own in a fair fight, and is a pretty fair shot with a gun.

Supporting Cast (If Any): The Old Man, the man in charge of the Continental Detective Agency, a cold and callous man that the Op fears he'll one day become.

Sample Post (must be a minimum of 4 paragraphs with at least 2 lines of dialogue from your character):


Gotham City


I hailed a cab at the corner of Kane and Finger and told the driver where I was headed. L-Corp had offered me a chauffeured car to use during my stay here, but I politely declined. They were going to be watching my every move, and I wanted to make it as hard as possible to keep tabs on me. The street and buildings blurred past the cab as it sped towards my destination.

Going on a hundred and fifty years since I last visited this city. Fifteen decades and in all that time, only thing that seems to have changed is the height of the buildings. That filthy underbelly is still there. It's the thing that made Gotham what it was. Like putting a bow on a rabid pit bull, you can dress it up with a bunch of glass and chrome, but this city knows what it is underneath it all. Animalistic, uncaring, and hard. It's a scrapper's city, a place where the strongarm and gat open doors quicker than money and pleasantries. In New York they say that if you make it there you can make it anywhere. In Gotham if you make it here, there's more than a few bodies you leave behind in your wake.

The cab pulled up to the location and scanned the chip in my palm, taking the fare out of my expense account the agency set me up with. The driver stayed silent as I got out and headed towards the looming skyscraper's entrance. A square-headed man with bright blonde hair was sitting behind a desk in the building lobby. I announced who I was and where I was from and who I was here to see. A minute later I was headed up to the ninetieth floor in a fast moving express elevator. The door dinged and slid open.

"You can come in," a lazy voice said from somewhere inside the penthouse.

I tucked my hands in my pocket and headed in. The large, open space appeared to be professionally decorated in the sense the bright colors and plush furniture didn't match the personality of its owner. The gray-haired man standing in the middle of the penthouse sized me up the way a barracuda may size up a wounded flounder. His narrow eyes cut into me, trying to look for any sense of motive or purpose in my eyes. I stared back, unblinking and giving the man a taste of his own medicine. This wasn't my first rodeo with a hardcase who thought a couple billion credits made him a tough guy. Pushing around paper pushers and yes men were one thing, but I was going to show him that doing the same with me wouldn't bode well for our relationship.

"Welcome," he said with a laugh, shaking his head and walking towards me. Three quick pumps from a strong grip. Not a bonecrusher like you'd expect for an alpha male like this. "I'm Derek Powers."

"I know," I said with a nod.

"Oh?" His eyebrows shot up with interest. "You've seen me from the news?"

"No, but I recognize the face from the credits you wired to the office."

"Oh... well, about that." Powers pointed towards a soft sofa and smiled. "Have a seat, won't you?"

"Rather stand if it's all the same. Been sitting in cars and flights for the better part of the last three hours. My legs could use the circulation."

He sat and looked up at me as he spoke.

"The reason I've hired you, is because I want you to track down a certain individual. The Batman."

"You called the wrong guys," I said with a slow smile. "I'm not with the booby hatch. I'm a private dick and I don't make it a policy to harass crazies."

"For what I'm paying you," he hissed. "You better damn well find him."

He had me there. For what he was giving the agency, considering Wayne-Powers and L-Corp had their own private security, I guess I had better go the extra mile. Also, the chance to see one of those costumed crazies face to face would be interesting. I can find out what drives a man to put on a pair of panty hose and go out hunting pimps and yeggs.

"Where do I start?"

"With my own company," he said, leaning back with a satisfied grin. "The technology that this Batman uses, he has to be someone inside my company. Morgana Fox is my head of R&D. Rattle her cage and see what she gives you."

"You're the boss."

Without another word, I turned around and headed back towards the elevator. As far as first impressions went, I had been through better. Powers seemed like he had the charisma of my left shoe, with the compassion of the alligators that said shoe was made of. Still, he was the boss. I had worked for much worse over the years. The elevator slid open and I rode it down, thinking about my next move in this godforsaken city.

[HenryJonesJr]

Interesting concept, Byrd.

[Shoryu]

I've read up on everything so far except for the specific info on each country, And I'm definitely interested, I just felt a little curious. I've seen 'sample post' requirements before, but a '4 post sample' required for Casual? That seems more like something expected of Advanced rather than casual. I definatly understand the desire to avoid 'mini posters' gooping up the RP's Machinery, but that's certainly above Casual Expectations =P

Either way I'm still interested, Just thought I might bring that up XD Also, Sorry for 'appearing' in the OOC if this was more open mainly to those from the Interest check, I just spotted it while searching for an OOC from another RP and it caught my Eye. ^.^

[Knighthawk]

@Byrd: I imagine captain bullock from the batman animated series.

[MST3K 4ever]

Leaning towards either Black Arrow or Plastic Man. Haven't decided yet.

[Byrd Man]

@Byrd: I imagine captain bullock from the batman animated series.

Works for me. Always assumed the Op and all the hardboiled detectives from the pulps were the inspiration for post-crisis Bullock.